RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MID- TO LATER LIFE: AN ACCELERATED LONGITUDINAL DESIGN

Abstract It is widely accepted that religiosity and spirituality (R/S) increase with age, although the multidimensional nature of R/S complicates this conclusion. Specifically, religiosity entails engagement in communal and independent religious practices, whereas spirituality refers to a sense of communion with divine being(s). Furthermore, religious and/or spiritual individuals may use their faith to carry them through hard times, and thus engage in positive and/or negative religious/spiritual coping. Critically, these R/S facets may follow distinct developmental trajectories across adulthood, and the nature of these trajectories remain unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we followed an accelerated longitudinal design, modeling developmental trends in six R/S facets across ages 45-80. Participants included 768 subjects from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being (NDHWB), a 10-year, multi-cohort, longitudinal study of adult development and aging (Wave 1 Age: Mean= 59.24, SD= 8.65). Using two-level, hierarchical linear modeling, we estimated no change, linear change, quadratic change, and cubic change trajectories across ages 45-80 in communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, positive and negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as composite R/S; cohort effects in these change trajectories were also tested. Communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as composite R/S, followed unique, cubic trajectories across mid- to later life. Positive religious/spiritual coping followed a linear trajectory, although cohort effects precluded the interpretation of developmental change in this R/S facet. Individuals appear to engage with their faith in different ways as they age, meaning extant conclusions about age-graded increases in R/S may be oversimplified.

network autocorrelation model (LNAM) was constructed to quantify how individuals' loneliness was correlated in SCP.A grounded theory approach informed the qualitative analysis.Mixed-method integration was conducted through a joint display table.LNAM results on the covariates were consistent with previous loneliness studies on diverse older adults.Furthermore, the negative network autocorrelation indicated that less lonely volunteers tended to interact with lonelier volunteers (ρ= -0.06, p< 0.05).Qualitative results also supported the aforementioned socialization pattern suggestive of altruistic motivations.In other words, the altruistic tendency to interact with other volunteers differing in loneliness may be an important pathway by which volunteering addresses loneliness.Future research shall further examine the mechanism between volunteering and older adults' psychosocial well-being.Findings have implications for maximizing the health and social benefits of volunteering.
longitudinal design, modeling developmental trends in six R/S facets across ages 45-80.Participants included 768 subjects from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being (NDHWB), a 10-year, multi-cohort, longitudinal study of adult development and aging (Wave 1 Age: Mean= 59.24, SD= 8.65).Using two-level, hierarchical linear modeling, we estimated no change, linear change, quadratic change, and cubic change trajectories across ages 45-80 in communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, positive and negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as composite R/S; cohort effects in these change trajectories were also tested.Communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as composite R/S, followed unique, cubic trajectories across mid-to later life.Positive religious/spiritual coping followed a linear trajectory, although cohort effects precluded the interpretation of developmental change in this R/S facet.Individuals appear to engage with their faith in different ways as they age, meaning extant conclusions about age-graded increases in R/S may be oversimplified.Background: Most studies of geographic health disparities are focused on adult rural residence.However, previous studies have shown that the residential area in which one grows up during childhood has lasting impacts on adult health.In one of the only studies to date to examine the impact of rural childhood residence on mental health in middleaged and older adults, Murchland and colleagues (2019) evaluated inequalities by childhood residence and noted elevated depressive symptoms were more common among those living in rural areas compared to those living in non-rural areas.Aims: The current study expands the model proposed by Murchland and colleagues to include further antecedents related to rural childhood residence, and to include multiple outcomes of physical and mental health among middle-aged and older adults.Method: Participants included 4614 individuals aged 40 or older recruited as part of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study.Results: Consistent with Murchland's model, childhood rurality played an important part in middle-aged and older adults' health, despite not having a direct influence.Rurality status was impacted by parental education level and SES during childhood and was associated with the level of education obtained by the participants (and thus their occupation), which played a direct role in their current health status.Mental and physical health had differential predictors.Limitations: The study was limited by its non-diverse sample and self-reported measures.Conclusion: Further research into the impact of childhood rurality on health is needed, utilizing comprehensive selfreported and observed outcome measures.

THE MODERATING ROLE OF PURPOSE IN LIFE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISCRIMINATION AND COGNITION
Heather Farmer, and Alexis Ambroise, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States Discrimination is a source of chronic stress disproportionately experienced by Black adults that has been associated with worse cognitive outcomes in older adults.Few studies have explored modifiable resilience resources that may protect people from the possible negative impacts of discrimination on cognition.Sense of purpose refers to an individual's perception of future-oriented goals and direction in life, and is a key resource associated with better cognition.However, no studies have explored whether greater purpose may buffer older adults against the negative impacts of discrimination on cognition or whether there are race differences in the stress-buffering impact of purpose on cognition.We use data from 9,775 Non-Hispanic White and 1,687 Black adults in the 2006 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to explore whether purpose in life moderates the association between everyday discrimination and cognitive functioning and whether this relationship varies by race.Discrimination was measured using the Everyday Discrimination Scale, which assesses how frequently an individual reports unfair and differential treatment (range, 0-5, where higher scores indicate more frequent discrimination).Multilevel linear regression models revealed that frequent discrimination was associated with worse cognition (b=-0.34,p<.001), controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, and urbanicity.There was a significant discrimination x purpose interaction (b=0.16,p<.001), suggesting that purpose may buffer the discrimination-cognition association.However, there was a non-significant discrimination x purpose x race interaction.This research suggests a strong sense of purpose can protect people from experiencing worse cognition when faced with frequent discrimination.

DEMENTIA, DEPRESSION, AND AGING
Abstract citation ID: igad104.0078Although older adults tend to regulate their emotions and resist stress better than midlife or younger adults (Charles & Carstensen, 2007), research suggests that when older adults do negatively react to stress they may have more difficulty recovering (Charles, 2010).Research reveals that various indicators of stress relate to greater depression -even suggesting that stress causes the depression (van Praag, 2004).Individual perceived stress (PS) as well as perceived stress reactivity (PSR) influence how stress impacts well-being (Folkman et al., 1986).Thus, we examined age differences in

THE CHARM OF COUNTRY LIFE? IMPACT OF RURAL CHILDHOOD RESIDENCE ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN LATER LIFE Danielle
Nadorff 1 , Angela Duck 2 , Crystal Lim 3 , and Danielle Fastring 4 , 1. Mississippi State University,